As mentioned in our “ Picking a Puppy ” article , littermate syndrome is a serious behavioral condition . The condition develops when two young dogs end up bonding too tightly with each other . It may sound ideal when dogs are such close friends , but major issues can arise down the road . The problem is that their relationship with each other can stop them from creating proper bonds with humans and hinder their social development . As the name suggests , littermate syndrome generally exists in two puppies from the same litter , however it can also be present when two puppies of a similar age are raised together . Although littermate syndrome doesn ’ t develop every time two puppies are raised together , it is common enough that we warn against getting two puppies at the same time .
Behavioral Issues Associated with Littermate Syndrome
From a young age , the two puppies have formed a very strong bond , learning and feeding off of each others emotions . This can lead to behavioral issues in one or both of the dogs as they develop , including :
• Fear of people and other dogs
• Extreme separation anxiety
• Crate issues
• Issues when encountering new situations when alone
• Leash reactivity
• Higher incidence of fighting as compared to non-siblings being raised together
Stray Thoughts Spring 2018
Ask the Trainer
Littermate Syndrome
At that point you aren ’ t simply asking a dog not to be bad , you are trying to socialize them long after their “ socialization window ” has closed . It ’ s hard work !
Avoiding Littermate Syndrome is Best !
The easiest way to prevent littermate syndrome is to only take one puppy at a time . It is always tempting to take two because they are just so darn cute together . But no matter how cute they are the safer route will always be to just take one . If you want a second dog ,
These issues aren ’ t often experienced right away , but as both dogs mature , they tend to intensify greatly . Littermate syndrome often causes aggression in breeds that are not prone to aggressive behaviors . For example , we rarely see aggression in Labradors , but when two Labrador littermates are raised together we see much higher levels of aggression and / or fear .
Managing littermate syndrome is a lot of work . An owner should know that preventing littermate syndrome doesn ’ t just double their workload , but rather triples it . They ’ ll have to train with each dog individually , and then together . Remember that littermate syndrome is not a dog simply acting out . Littermate syndrome causes dogs to not go through their normal developmental process and takes a huge amount of work to overcome once it is present .
I would suggest waiting six months and then getting another puppy . This way the first dog will have already been socialized properly .
Working through Littermate Syndrome
If you already have two puppies and you are intent on keeping them together then you will need a great action plan . The main goals you ’ ll want to achieve is confidence in the dogs when they are separated from each other and good behavior when together . Believe it or not , the most important work occurs when the dogs are separated . To some people this sounds backwards because they want the dogs to be good around each other , but proper socialization is the most important part .
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